ScienceDaily: Top Environment News

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• Wild orangutans stressed by eco-tourists, but not for long, study out of North Borneo finds
• Was human evolution caused by climate change?
• Sex-deprived fruit flies turn to alcohol, perhaps to fulfill a physiological demand for a reward
• Implanted Biofuel Cell Operating in Living Snail
• Hotspots for biogenesis of small RNA molecules in plant cells discovered
• Basketball-sized eyes help squids play defense
• Protein researchers unravel the molecular dance of DNA repair
• Rising ocean temperatures harm protected coral reefs
• Animal health breakthrough: Research uncovers genetic marker that could help control, eliminate PRRS virus
• Vineyard records link early grape ripening to climate change
• Diverse catches are better for fishery ecosystems
• Clash of the crayfish: Why the Americans are winning
• Plants 'remember' drought, change responses to survive

Wild orangutans stressed by eco-tourists, but not for long, study out of North Borneo finds Posted: 15 Mar 2012 07:55 PM PDT Wild orangutans that have come into contact with eco-tourists over a period of years show an immediate stress response but no signs of chronic stress, unlike other species in which permanent alterations in stress responses have been documented, new research from an Indiana University anthropologist has found.

Was human evolution caused by climate change? Posted: 15 Mar 2012 12:25 PM PDT Models of how animal and plant distributions are affected by climate change may also explain aspects of human evolution.

Sex-deprived fruit flies turn to alcohol, perhaps to fulfill a physiological demand for a reward Posted: 15 Mar 2012 11:54 AM PDT After being deprived of sex, male fruit flies may turn to alcohol to fulfill a physiological demand for a reward, according to a new study. Neurobiology experts say that understanding why rejected male flies find solace in ethanol could help treat human addictions.

Implanted Biofuel Cell Operating in Living Snail Posted: 15 Mar 2012 11:50 AM PDT Researchers have implanted a biofuel cell in a living snail. This is the first incidence of an implanted biofuel cell continuously operating in a snail and producing electrical power over a long period of time using the snail's physiologically produced glucose as a fuel.

Hotspots for biogenesis of small RNA molecules in plant cells discovered Posted: 15 Mar 2012 10:59 AM PDT Throughout their life, plants form leaves and side roots. These two types of organs have something in common: their development is finely tuned by small regulatory RNA molecules, the trans-acting short interfering RNAs (ta-siRNAs). Scientists were now able to demonstrate how and where within the plant cell these ta-siRNAs are produced. They succeeded in identifying hotspots for the biogenesis of these special RNA molecules.

Basketball-sized eyes help squids play defense Posted: 15 Mar 2012 09:30 AM PDT Researchers have used complex computations to explain squids' massive peepers. Giant squids' 10-inch eyes allow them to see very large and hungry sperm whales from a distance in the pitch darkness of their deep-sea home.

Protein researchers unravel the molecular dance of DNA repair Posted: 15 Mar 2012 09:30 AM PDT Using state-of-the-art technology, scientists have successfully obtained "molecular snapshots" of tens of thousands processes involved in DNA damage repair. The results will help unravel exactly how cells repair their broken DNA, how chemotherapy affects cells' workings and will assist in the discovery of new drugs with fewer side effects.

Rising ocean temperatures harm protected coral reefs Posted: 15 Mar 2012 08:30 AM PDT Special conservation zones known as marine protected areas provide many direct benefits to fisheries and coral reefs. However, such zones appear to offer limited help to corals in their battle against global warming, according to a new study.

Animal health breakthrough: Research uncovers genetic marker that could help control, eliminate PRRS virus Posted: 15 Mar 2012 07:59 AM PDT Scientists have recently discovered a genetic marker that identifies pigs with reduced susceptibility to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, or PRRS. The discovery may improve animal health and save the U.S. pork industry millions of dollars each year.

Vineyard records link early grape ripening to climate change Posted: 15 Mar 2012 06:58 AM PDT By using decades of vineyard records, scientists have for the first time been able to attribute early ripening of wine grapes to climate warming and declines in soil water content.

Diverse catches are better for fishery ecosystems Posted: 15 Mar 2012 06:58 AM PDT Fishing for a "balanced harvest" can achieve productive fisheries as well as environmental conservation, an international scientific team reports.

Clash of the crayfish: Why the Americans are winning Posted: 15 Mar 2012 06:55 AM PDT Aggressive American signal crayfish are threatening Britain's native white-clawed crayfish populations because they have better resistance to parasites and are less fussy about what they eat.

Plants 'remember' drought, change responses to survive Posted: 15 Mar 2012 06:44 AM PDT Plants subjected to a previous period of drought learn to deal with the stress thanks to their memories of the previous experience, new research has found. The findings could lead to development of crops better able to withstand drought.

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